Believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking about Free Agency. The beginning of the Free Agent Signing Period starts at midnight on February 29th. These rankings were comprised regardless of free agent status (i.e. Restricted or Unrestricted) but the status is indicated as “RFA” for “Restricted Free Agent” and “UFA” for “Unrestricted Free Agent” to the right of the player name. The definitions of each are as follows:

UFA: A Player who has at least four years experience at the expiration of a contract can sign with any team with no compensation to his former club.

RFA: Restricted free agents have three years of experience at the end of their contracts and must be tendered an offer sheet before April 15. The player's current club has seven days to match the offer, or the player's rights revert to the team that tendered the sheet. Teams are awarded compensatory draft picks based on the quantity and quality of restricted free agents it loses to other squads in the previous year's free-agent period.

Top Five Free Agent Defensive Tackles

1. Albert Haynesworth- UFA- In this year’s class of free agent defensive tackles, there’s Albert Haynesworth and then everyone else. Known by most for stomping on the helmet less head of Dallas’ Andre Gurode. On the strength of his career-high six sacks with 23 quarterback pressures, six tackles for loss and 69 tackles, Haynesworth made the Pro Bowl for the first time this year. In three games w/o him in the lineup, the Titans defense gave up an average of 30+ points per game. In the other 13, opponents averaged just 16 per game.
 
2. Corey Williams - UFA- The Packers won't sign him to a long-term because it would cost around seven years and $49 million which is what Detroit's DT Cory Redding signed for last July. Redding turned a good 2006 season with 8 sacks, 48 tackles, and 1 forced fumble into a monster contract. Williams had 7 sacks, 35 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception last season, and had 7 sacks in 2006 as well. With slim pickings on the market, Williams should command a hefty sum.

3. Jay Ratliff- RFA- After a torn bicep landed starter Jason Ferguson on IR for the year Ratliff took over and did well against the run and applying pressue to the QB. Because of his Restricted free agent status, Ratliff will probably end up re-signing with the Cowboys. Ratliff is only 26 years old and has seven sacks in his last 30 games as a nose tackle in the Cowboys 3-4 and continued to start even after the addition of Tank Johnson.

4. Damione Lewis - UFA- Lewis was a former first round pick out of Miami who played in the Super Bowl with the Rams during his rookie season. Critics say Lewis is not squatty enough to successfully play defensive tackle as an every down player in the NFL, but he did tie for the team lead with 3.5 sacks last year.

5. Isaac Sopoaga- UFA- The former University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior was a fourth round draft choice of the 49ers in 2004. At 6-2, 325 Sopoaga is very strong at the point of attack as evidenced by his 42 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press at the Combine which was the second highest total in Combine history. On the downside, wasn’t developing fast enough for Mike Nolan because prior to the 2007 season, Nolan went out and signed Baltimore’s Aubrayo Franklin to be the starter at DT in the Niners' 3-4.

Best of the rest:
6. Brian Young- UFA
7. Randy Starks- UFA
8. Sam Adams- UFA
9. Ted Washington- UFA
10. Chartric Darby - UFA